Shadow of the Dragon
by Roxy Fan 4 Ever
Summary: Princess Luce of Eraklyon has everything she could ever want...except magic. Stuck in the shadow of her perfect younger sister and legendary mother, Luce hates her life in the Magical Dimension, and so she swaps her palace for a home with her grandparents on Earth. But a normal life comes with its own challenges, and her home just might fall apart without her.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is a Next-Generation co-fic between Ruby Casablanca and myself. We both hope that you enjoy this story. Reviews are appreciated.**

**Prologue**

The Queen of Eraklyon was in pain. Excruciating, mind-numbing, earth-shattering pain. It was as if every pore on her body was being set on fire, the power amplifying to its height around the juncture of her legs where she was currently trying to push out her child as she had been for the past twenty three hours. She knew that her labor had been too long, too strenuous. She knew that something wasn't going well, but she could hardly think through all the pain. And even if she had a worry she couldn't voice anything other than a blood-curdling scream.

She knew that her husband was worried about her. He had grown more and more stressed as the labor endured. He was scared to death of seeing them stick IVs in her arms to make sure that she didn't pass out from dehydration. She knew he was watching her grow paler and sweatier, sicklier as the clock ticked on. But he stayed by her side and held her hand as she cried and pleaded for the torture to stop, ever the doting and caring husband. She loved him so much for it.

In summary, the labor was killing her. She knew it. She could feel it, but she wouldn't say it. She couldn't say it even if she wanted to.

Her contractions were growing more and more painful, and one in particular made her scream so loudly that she was sure the opposite wing of the hospital could hear her. But this one was also different in that she felt an overwhelming sense of faintness, like she had just been dosed with a sedative. And then the sensors around her started to go off, a storm of beeps and pings surrounding her in a cacophony of chaos.

"She's coding," she heard one doctor say frantically, checking all her scanners for the dramatic drop in vitals. "We need to deliver and fast before we lose them both. Prep her for surgery now! Go!"

The order set off more mass chaos into the delivery room, or soon to be OR. The people all looked identical to Bloom in her hazy state, all the blue and green scrubs blending into one giant mass. All of them were shouting and prepping and talking with words she couldn't understand. It was all too fast and it only made her sicker. Her head lolled to the side as she gave in to her body's urge to shut down. She was just so tired of labor…

"Your Majesty we need you to go, please," she picked out of the crowd. She followed the sound vaguely to the one nurse who was speaking to Sky, trying to keep him out of the scene, pushing him away from her and towards to exit.

_No_, she wanted to protest. _Give him back to me. I need him_…She needed Sky more than she could say, and she wished she could say that. But her body would only allow her to move her lips incoherently.

"Sky…?" she tried, her mouth fumbling over the single syllable, her tongue far too parched from dehydration. Everything was sticky. Everything was blurry.

"I can't leave her! She needs me I can't-" she heard Sky protest, but other nurses were around him now, and her heart sank as she felt him get further and further from her.

"Sir your wife is in critical condition; her life is on the line. We need you to go."

There were more words exchanged, heated words that Bloom couldn't decipher as her head began to swim, color swirling into one giant blur.

"Sky…" she tried again, not even sure she had made any sound at all. She just needed her husband. She just wanted her husband back. Sky could make this all okay. He could make this…

"Code red! We're losing her!"

"Bloom!"

"Get a mask on her now!"

"Bloom!"

The chaos around her was nothing but white noise, Sky's shrieks mixed with the doctor's calls all mixing into silence. The last thing she saw before her eyes shut was Sky, his face frightened from behind the window in the door, his eyes wide and glassy. But then there was a tugging sensation followed by another scream that was entirely different from her own. This one was much shriller, newer, and made her ears ring fiercely until she could hear nothing at all.

And then everything went black.

* * *

Time was ticking away far too slowly. Each minute seemed like a millennia, each second like an entire lifetime that was moving in an agonizingly slow pace. Sky could hardly stand it, and surely neither could the doctors who kept on giving him the strangest looks, as if they were more concerned with his health than his wife and child's.

He could see nothing. He wasn't even allowed to stare in through the windowed doors anymore out of some inane fear that he would do something to jeopardize the lives of his wife and unborn daughter. He just wanted to be with them, to hold Bloom in his arms and make sure that she and the baby were safe. He'd only be soothed when he had them both in his grasp. Until then he was reduced to a worrisome ball of stress.

"Sky," came a gentle and familiar voice from in front of him, "how are you holding up?"

He had barely registered Daphne's presence until she was sitting right beside him, her arm taking to rubbing soothing circles on his back. She looked as rough as he did, her face all lines of worry and sleep-deprived. He knew the entirety of the royal families of both Eraklyon and Domino were in great distress, wandering around somewhere in this hospital with bated breath. And as her sister, Daphne had every right to wear her worry.

"I'm fine, I just wish they would let me know what is going on..." Sky replied weakly, holding his head in his hands as he slumped forward in the hospital chair.

"They'll give us answers soon, I'm sure. And then everything will be fine," Daphne tried her best to sound confident, and for the first time, he actually believed that things would be. Daphne was always like that, a beacon in the dark, just like Bloom.

"I wish I was as confident as you are," Sky shook his head wryly, trying to smile but it ended up forced and weak. Daphne didn't hold it against him; she knew what hell he must've been enduring at the moment.

"You'll see. Everything will end up as it should," she assured him, embracing her brother in law, trying to pass on more strength.

Sky appreciated all her efforts, he really did, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to rid himself of doubt until he saw Bloom and their child with his own eyes. He wouldn't allow himself to breathe until his family was home with him.

* * *

Bloom woke up to the most painful headache she had ever had in her entire life. And when that throbbing went away she was greeted with the most pain she had ever had all over her body. It was as if her senses were on a full-fledged assault, and all she wanted to do was escape the madness. Her vision was too white and her ears were ringing too loud and everything she touched felt like it was burning her skin clean off. It was awful.

She tried to lean up but the searing hot pain she felt across her lower abdomen made her mouth open in a silent cry of pain. A hand guided her back gently to the pillows below, that pressure centralized in her chest which seemed to clear the fuzzy whiteness away from her vision enough to make out the concerned face of her husband staring down at her.

"Careful, you need to rest or you'll pull the stitches," he instructed, his face carved out into thin lines that she did not like one bit.

"Stitches?" Bloom wondered as she looked down at her stomach, finding it much deflated since she had last seen it. It was strange, not having that life kicking up a storm inside of her anymore. She almost missed it…

"Yeah…they had to cut you open to get the baby out. You lost a lot of blood…had me worried there for a moment," he admitted, finally looking more scared than he had been before. She had known that she was taken in for surgery, but she had not known things had gone so badly for her…or the baby. And that thought brought everything else crashing in.

"And…and the baby?" she asked, now her turn to get worried.

"She's fine," he replied, a smile breaking out across his face. "Would you like to hold her?"

"Yes," she managed her need to hold her child overwhelming. All the pain in the world seemed to fade as Sky got up to reach for their daughter lying in a transparent medical crib off to the side. He scooped the tiny thing up with extreme care, offering her to Bloom. She took the precious thing from his arms and held her close, marveling in their creation.

"I love you," she told Sky as she cradled their baby for the first time, caught up in all the love she felt for the man who helped make this possible. He leaned over her to kiss her, gently capturing her lips in his. Everything was perfect.

So naturally the doctors had to come in, their clipboards jingling and lab coats swishing, disrupting their intimate family moment. Bloom had honestly been too happy to care, but their serious looks suggested something other than congratulations.

"Your Majesties," the mousy man in the glasses said formally but with a nervous twinge that didn't sit well in either of their stomachs, "we have the results from your daughter's tests, and it appears that her magical potential is nonexistent."

"What? What does that mean?" Sky asked, completely dumbfounded by the statement. Bloom was confused as well, though she could not get her mouth to function. No, that didn't make any sense. Their daughter was healthy; she was right there in her arms breathing.

"I'm sorry," the man replied solemnly, his colleagues bowing their heads as if to show some sort of reverence or sympathy, "but your daughter, she'll never have magic."

And with those words, Bloom's carefully constructed world came tumbling in. She held her daughter close, her eyes wide and fearful. The doctor kept on rambling on, talking about this like her daughter had some sort of disease and how they should consult with another expert to be certain. Did her daughter have a disease? Would this change her? Scar her? Would she live a normal, healthy life?

And in the back of her mind she knew that all of this was irrational. She herself had lived a life without magic for the first half of her life and had survived. But this was different. This was her daughter and her daughter was not supposed to have problems. And in the back of her mind she knew that it was not a sin to be magic-less, but something akin to fear was struck in her chest when she glanced at Sky, their expressions identical.

They both didn't want to have to raise their daughter as a freak.

* * *

A few days later the Queen of Eraklyon found herself staring out a window to her kingdom below, the world completely at peace. Just a few days ago the whole kingdom was rejoicing at the prospect of a new addition to the royal family. And now the royal family was standing in the waiting area of the office of the best doctors on the planet to determine whether or not their only child would survive the night.

Bloom was worried out of her mind, wrapping her arms around her torso to keep herself from shattering. She had yet to lose her baby weight, her stomach still slightly protruding, and it was all too easy for her to pretend like she was still in her first trimester, back when things were easy and light and happy, and nothing terrible could ever happen. Back before she knew this type of fear: the fear of losing her child, despite how irrational she knew it was. She wished to be that innocent and happy, to have so much to look forward to instead of waiting on news of her world being ripped away.

Soon enough she heard heavy footsteps approach her spot. Though the owner stopped close enough to where she stood, they respected her space, her need to be alone and go through her own stages of premature grief.

Sky was such a good husband, she thought to herself, turning a bit to let him know it was okay to approach her, yet not making eye contact. She just couldn't bear to see what lied in his eyes. She also couldn't let him know the misery that lied in hers. They both had enough weight on their shoulders. But Bloom, she knew she had so much more. She was that baby's mother for goodness sake, and she was failing in her only duty.

"It's my fault," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"Darling, what are you talking about?" he asked, reaching out to pull her in close. She welcomed his embrace, her small form trembling in his arms.

"I was in labor too long; I suffocated her. She was stuck, and now she's in there and I don't know what to do... It's all my fault…" Bloom was tripping over her world with ugly sobs, the tears running down her face faster than she could stop them.

Sky was quick to react, pulling his wife's face up and wiping her tear tracks away. He kissed her tenderly on the forehead, trying to soothe her even though he knew that she was too far gone to help.

"No, none of this is your fault. You hear me? None of it."

Bloom nodded, but only slightly. Even though she knew that he was making sense, she couldn't let herself believe that she was innocent. It was her responsibility to protect her child, and yet she couldn't feel more useless.

"Sky…" she sobbed quietly into his chest, "what are we going to do?"

"We just need to stick together Bloom. Just stay with me."

She nodded deftly as he wrapped his arms just a bit tighter around her torso, as if the tighter he held on the less would end up slipping out of his control. She wanted to believe that that was true, that he could hold on to her all the tighter and she would be all the safer. But she knew that no matter how tightly he held on that her baby's fate was up in the air.

A shuddered sob passed through her lips as she tried not to think about her baby girl just a few feet away facing the unknown. She was too young…god she was too young to be ripped away from the world.

_Please_, she prayed, _please don't take my baby away_.

* * *

The doctor called the royal couple in a few hours later, seating them inside of his office. Everything about the place screamed "sterile", and Bloom didn't like it one bit. It reminded her of the delivery room, of fading into nothing and waking up to find her whole world had been turned upside down. Sky kept his hand threaded in hers as they sat in the leather-backed chairs, his thumb running over the top of her hand, a constant comfort that she could never thank him enough for.

She eyed the rest of the room and found her baby lying in a medical crib near the corner of the room, fast asleep like nothing was wrong. Her tiny fingers were balled up into fists and Bloom hoped so badly that nothing was wrong, that this was all a dream and she would wake up to find those tiny fingers wrapped around her own as they slept in the nursery that Sky and his attendants had worked so hard to assemble.

A man with streaked grey hair began to speak to her from across the pine desk, and her attention immediately shifted. Even though her baby was her world, this man held the answers that would either heal it or tear it all to pieces.

"Well, on the extreme up side, your daughter is completely healthy."

The news was like a weight off of her chest, making Bloom feel as if things could finally proceed to normal.

"Really?" she asked, trying and failing to not sound completely relieved.

"Yes. The tests couldn't find a single malady," the doctor continued, and Bloom could've cried. Now they could actually put this nightmare behind them and focus on their daughter. The last few days would really just be a nightmare.

"Oh, thank god!" Bloom sighed, a hand falling on her chest as if the burden had been physically lifted.

"So she's fine? She's completely normal?" Sky reiterated, leaning in a bit closer as if being closer to the source would make the doctor's words more concrete.

"Well, physically yes. Your daughter is a hundred percent healthy and strong. However, her tests did concur with the ones taken upon birth. She has absolutely no magical potential whatsoever."

He delivered the news in a clinical voice, one that was not in the least bit a comfort. The heavy silence was back, and the tension in the room could've been cut with a knife.

"So what does that mean?" Sky asked carefully, trying to ignore that Bloom had tears pricking in her eyes where there had previously been happiness.

"It means that your daughter will never have the ability to possess magic of any source," the doctor explained slowly, making sure the weight of the situation was understood by all.

"How could this happen? Is this because of the labor? Did she lose oxygen? Did she-" Bloom panicked, her speech rushed and frantic. She needed to know what was wrong, what had happened, what she could have done to save her daughter this hardship. But the doctor reached out his hands in a gesture meant to placate, telling her to halt her speech, and so she did. She just needed to know.

"Your Majesty, no disrespect but you are completely over-exaggerating the situation. There is nothing that you could've done to prevent this from happening," he told her intently, holding eye contact to make sure that she knew what he was saying was the absolute truth.

"You're sure?" she asked, her bottom lip trembling.

"Yes. I've seen this before. It's uncommon, but not uncommon enough to be rare, but sometimes children of magical families can be born without the ability to wield magic. It's not your fault at all. What we believe is that the genetic code mutates somewhere during the initial cell division, and that mutation codes for a repressed magical gene."

While the explanation made sense, it gave no comfort to the couple. What they were hearing was that their daughter was mutated, not well and good.

"But…our daughter will live. She'll be fine?" Sky asked, emphasizing nearly every word. They needed a final answer, for both their sanities.

"Yes. Your daughter will grow up to live a happy and healthy life," the doctor assured them, and both the royal couple leaned back in their seats.

Bloom didn't know how to feel, her heart torn into a thousand different directions. At first her daughter was something that needed to be treated, then a mutant, and now perfectly fine. The emotional turmoil was enough to make her go grey. And Sky, well he was caught up in his thoughts, a million and one things filling his mind.

"I know that this is a lot to process, so I'll leave you two to your thoughts," the doctor told them as he rose from his seat. They followed his lead, standing up rather awkwardly until the doctor continued. "And please, feel free to pick up your daughter. She's completely fine from the tests."

"Thank you," Bloom murmured under her breath as the man excused himself from the room. She vaguely registered Sky shaking the man's hand and a few passing remarks exchanged, but her focus was back on her daughter who had begun to squirm in her plastic crib. She reached down into the container and scooped up the partly sleeping girl, resting her in the crook of her arms.

_Healthy_, she thought as she stared at her daughter intently, _happy_. Her daughter would be both those things and more. Just not magical. And while she was worried about what problems that may cause in the future, Bloom thought back to her life and what magic had brought to it. Sure, it had brought her Sky and a group of lifelong friends, but it had also brought along villains and heartbreak and death. Carnage followed in magic's wake, and the magical dimension got scarier and scarier with each passing moment. Perhaps it was better for her child to be born without magic…And the girl could be happy without magic; she could make friends and have experiences without having to fight for her life. It would be just as perfect as Bloom had originally imagined.

Vaguely she registered Sky's heavy steps growing closer, and she turned to face him. He kept his head tilted down, his expression firm set and hard to read as he placed a hand on top of their daughter's tiny head. He was so gentle with her, but the moment was over in a second, and as soon as he was there he turned to go, leaving Bloom in the office alone. She was confused by his actions; _wasn't Sky happy that their daughter was well? Wouldn't he be glad to know he could breathe a sigh of relief?_

But all thoughts were cast aside at her gurgling daughter who had begun to stir in her arms. She bounced her baby a bit, soothing the restless child. That did the trick, the little baby dozing back off into sleep, and Bloom leaned her head down to nuzzle the tinier bald one, taking in her daughter's scent. She smelled pure, like something new and wonderful and completely hers. Bloom couldn't stop the smile that crept up her face.

"Don't worry," she whispered to the sleeping child, turning to the window in the office to look out over the kingdom once more. The view looked different now; instead of being unfair and cruel, it seemed fitting. The sun was just beginning to set, making the sky appear to be all shades of pink and orange. Bloom continued, "I'm not sure what your daddy is feeling, but he loves you very much, just as much as I do. And I don't care if you have the most magic in the universe, or none at all. You will always be my light. My Luce."

They had discussed names for days, she and Sky both, but they couldn't decide on one they liked. But now, in the midst of the most beautiful sunset she had seen in ages, Bloom knew what she wanted to name her daughter. Luce just seemed to be the most appropriate. Her daughter determined her life; that baby girl held the power to light the tunnel to a great future or set the same tunnel on fire to destroy everything in sight. And Bloom considered that to be the most powerful magic of all.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

There was always something about winter time that Luce loved. She didn't know if it was the colder weather or the fact that said weather warranted her wearing her favorite sweatshirt all the time without getting dirty looks. As if she would anyway…she was a princess after all.

Walking over to the large window of her bedroom, Luce looked down at the people rushing about below. Maids were running in and out of the palace walls as snow was gently falling to the ground, covering everything in a white blanket. She would say it was a fairytale if she didn't already live in one. Sighing, she turned away from the peaceful sight and instead directed all her focus to the monstrosity waiting on her bed.

Walking over, the Princess of Eraklyon slowly picked up the dress that had been carefully laid out for her to wear. Well she said dress…it was more of a ball gown. Light blue in color and soft as the snow on the ground below, Luce couldn't have hated it more. Surely it would fit her like a glove and hit all the right angles as all of these stupid things did, that didn't make her any keener on wearing one. She grumbled to herself as she picked the satin dress up off of her bed.

_Why do I even have to go to this party?_ She thought; _it's not like she will care if I am even there._

Luce shook her head in disagreement and placed the provoking gown back on the bed, tossing aside her frustration for the time being. The party wasn't starting for awhile, anyways. That gave her plenty of time to come up with an excuse not to go to the cotillion.

_I'll just walk around a bit. That usually cools me off,_ Luce thought to herself, opening her double doors out to the hallway.

The first few hallways the princess walked through were similar: well-composed paintings of the royal family members on the walls and a lavender carpet on the floor to compliment the high class of the structure. Everything sparkled and shined, even the gilding on the pillars, no doubt in preparation for tonight. Everything had to be perfect for the "perfect child" after all.

As she drew nearer to the ball room, Luce saw that various luxurious decorations had already been set up. From balloons to banners with congratulatory remarks to tables full of champagne flutes, a sense of celebration filled the halls that were soon to be busy with cheerful guests. Well, she excluded herself from the generalization of "cheerful guests". Luce understood the significance of the event, but had doubts that her little sister could adjust appropriately.

She was almost at the ballroom, but a barely audible voice stopped Luce's motion. Nervous sweat rolled down Luce's forehead as she followed the source of sound with silent footsteps. She tracked the noise down to the main foyer, and was met by a spectacular scene. Luce was so caught up in the crystal chandeliers and rose colored floral arrangements that had turned their greeting area into a botanical garden that she almost missed the center of action. Almost.

It wasn't a simple conversation she had picked up on; no, the voice was yelling and overflowing with rage, and its owner was nothing but displeased. But then again Fiore was always complaining about something. It was times like these, when Fiore was red in the face and screaming at the top of her lungs at the staff to get her own way, hands cocked on her prominent hips and tossing her long strawberry blonde locks around, that Luce really could smack her younger sister. She swore the girl had no rationality whatsoever.

"You call that a banner?!" Fiore screeched, her voice reaching octaves that Luce didn't think were possible. "I said I wanted everything in the foyer to be rose colored! ROSE! This is mauve!"

She whipped the silken banner in front of the poor, unsuspecting maid's face. A closer look from Luce as she stepped further into the scene made her recognize the maid as Sofia, one of her longtime staff and old playmate. No doubt the poor girl was assigned to do whatever Fiore asked, and unfortunately that meant incurring her wrath. But someone as lovely as Sofia didn't deserve that kind of treatment, especially not from a spoiled brat like Fiore.

"Hey, Fiore! Knock it off!" Luce called out, sauntering over to Sofia and placing a hand around her shoulder to support her shaking frame. "It's not Sofia's fault your banner isn't right, so why don't you take your anger out on something else."

"Stay out of this Luce!" Fiore snapped, eyes shooting daggers at her know-it-all sister. "This isn't your concern."

"It became my concern when I could hear you screaming from three halls over!" Luce retorted.

"I didn't ask you for your concern so why don't you just go back to brooding or whatever it is you do," Fiore replied in a simpering voice, a thin smile meant as a dismissal painted on her lips.

"I don't know what the big problem is; just change the color with your magic," Luce suggested, gesturing to the banner now crumpled up from Fiore's fists.

"Ugh I can't do that you moron! Changing the color will ruin the quality of the silk! But of course you wouldn't know that because you don't have magic," Fiore shot back, a low blow at that.

There it was, the thing that all their fights came back to: magic. How Fiore had it and abused it and Luce would kill to have just the tiniest taste but was forced to live without it. It was a tender subject, and these fights never ended well, they both knew that, but Fiore was too worked up to care, and Luce had no cares that this was about to be the biggest day of her sister's life. They would dish it out right then and there.

But before they could get anywhere else, another pair of footsteps made themselves known, and soon their mother was making her way towards their little spat, displeasure set across her features at the sight of her bickering daughters.

"Girls, girls calm down!" she cried out, reaching out to physically stop Fiore's hand that had reached out in attempts to literally push Luce out of the hall.

"She started it!" Fiore complained, pointing at Luce. "She was butting her head into my business!"

"Fiore was screaming at Sofia for something that she didn't even do! What was I supposed to do?!"

"Please, just settle down!" Bloom tried again "Fiore stop your screaming; it is not pleasant and you know it. And Luce, please let your sister be. She can handle herself and doesn't need you mothering her as well."

"Mom! How is this in any way fair?!" Luce cried, not believing what was coming out of her mother's mouth while Fiore wore a smug smirk of victory. Per usual.

"Don't argue with me Luce. Please, just go back to your room and get ready."

Luce was sputtering, reeling on as to how that actually happened. She was hurt, and more than that she was livid that they were going to let Fiore keep treating Sofia that way.

She eyed the banner that had fallen on the floor and picked it up, disgusted at all the trouble it caused, and proceeded to throw it on the ground as far as she could.

"What are you doing?!" Fiore cried, rushing over to the banner, scooping it up gingerly and assessing the damage. Oh, so now she cared.

"Your powers are wasted on you," Luce spat, glaring at her sister up and down as if she was some sort of disappointment. And really she was in her mind. Luce knew she could do so much better with those powers, and all Fiore did was wave them around like toys. It was what disgusted her most.

And with that, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the hall. There was no way in hell she was going to the cotillion now.

* * *

Luce found herself a few hours later in the stables, sitting on a stool, petting her Pegasus Sumia as she let herself get lost in thought. The stables were always a safe place for her to do that; no one really came out this far on the grounds normally. Luce was glad for that at the moment. If she argued with anyone else from her family, she might have exploded.

Of course she wasn't really alone. The stable hands and servants that usually tended to the grounds around this part of the palace were still abuzz, busy making everything perfect. Even though guests would be far from this end of her humble home, Luce knew that Fiore had demanded that the entire palace be spotless and covered in finery.

Luce was still livid over the events in the hall. More than that she was crushed that her mother had actually taken Fiore's side when she knew that the girl was being a brat. Her big day or not, Fiore needed to get a hold of herself. She was so convinced that she was the center of the universe that she didn't see how poorly she treated those around her, and Luce was tired of getting the brunt of that brash and childish snobbery.

Sumia stirred a bit as Luce brushed through her long gray mane, jerking her out of her thoughts. Someone would be bound to notice her absence soon enough, and as much as she wanted to stay the rest of the day with Sumia pretending that the world didn't exist, she knew that sooner or later – no matter how badly she didn't want to – she would have to put on a ball dress along with a fake smile and play happy family. She cringed at the thought, making the stables seem all the more comforting.

"Miss?" came a quiet voice from the end of the stalls, "Miss Luce are you in here?"

Sofia, ever the loyal servant and friend, efficiently made her way to Sumia's stable, finding Luce in a matter of seconds. Luce would curse Sofia for knowing her so well as to find her so easily – probably why she was sent to find her – but Luce was just glad to see the young girl back to normal and not cowered behind a drape.

Luce pulled a brush through Sumia's mane, gently working out a knot as she sighed, "Are you here to take me to my death?"

Sofia laughed a bit at that, stepping into the stables to join Luce.

"No, I am not, though I was sent to find you. Your mother is quite worried."

"I knew it," Luce replied wryly, giving the girl a grin. "I don't want to go."

"I do not blame you. I don't really want to go either to be honest."

"Really?" Luce was shocked. Sofia usually loved all the glitz and glamour of balls. She had a distinct memory of Sofia freaking out over her own cotillion a few years back. "You love these kinds of parties!"

"True, but if this morning is anything to go by, then I highly doubt this night will be an easy one."

Luce felt the guilt weigh in on her again as she surveyed Sofia's pained expression.

"I am so sorry that Fiore acted like that. It was deplorable. How she got like that…I don't even know!" Luce apologized, ashamed of her sister's behavior.

"It's alright Miss, I can handle Lady Fiore," Sofia assured, smiling kindly even though her face looked more weary than anything. She had so many facial lines for someone so young.

"Well you'd be the first!" Luce scoffed, practically shouting it to the heavens.

This set off another round of laughter that both girls were incredibly grateful for. Laughing Sofia was practically the only thing that could cheer Luce up, and she was so glad for her friend's company.

However, a banging from a far away stall brought both girls out of their fit to focus on the figure turning the corner.

"Doctor," Luce sobered and nodded as the woman approached them from the other end of the stable, bowing her head to the princess out of respect. In her hands was a bag that glowed red from the inside out.

"Your highness," she replied politely, eyes burning with the fire of a healer – the finest in the system, or so their mother had said. Only the best for mother's beloved Peg.

"How is she?"

The elderly Pegasus was drawing close to her end, and even though her age was great, no one wanted her to go.

"As healthy as she can be for her age," the older woman replied, taking out something from her red bag: a tiny red creature. She gave it to the princess who took it in curious hands. "This is a Djinni; it will help with the pain for the next few days before I can create an actual elixir. But she is far past her prime, older than any Pegasus I have seen. I fear that her time is near."

"Thank you Doctor, you have all our thanks," Luce replied sincerely, diplomatically, as she had been trained to do since birth.

The woman departed with another bow of her head, leaving Sofia and Luce alone once more in the barn. Luce placed the small red thing on the ledge next to the cleaning tools, making her way to the exit of the stables. Suddenly she didn't want to be there anymore.

Sofia followed diligently as they passed stall upon stall, each housing a horse or Pegasus of some sort. Her father's prized stallion, the work horses, even her sister's white Pegasus Brietta were all lined up in their stalls, oblivious to the fact that in a few days their numbers would be decreased by one. It was a sad thought to have, but today was already a bad day so what really was more bad news?

As Luce finally walked out to the path that would take her to her doom, she turned to face Sofia who wore a soft and compassionate expression.

"This really isn't my day is it?"

"I'm sorry," Sofia responded kindly, and Luce nodded. She appreciated Sofia's silence. Sometimes saying less was actually better than saying more.

"I'll see you at the ball," Luce told her as she turned to walk to her room in a trance. She wasn't even sure how her feet knew how to move forward with all the thoughts swirling around in her head, but they did. They moved her forward one step at a time.

So she decided that was how she was going to get through the ball: one painful step at a time.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The night of the cotillion came far too quickly for Luce's taste. As soon as she had made it back to her room, still more than a tad ticked off about Fiore's behavior, she found the place full of staff. At least four lady's maids stood to curtsey at her and scuttle about, grabbing at her arms and dragging her onto her vanity chair. They might as well have been dragging her to her execution.

But she was used to this sort of royal abuse, and so sat and scowled as she was transformed from her comfortable, conservative self to a complete stranger in a matter of hours. As she paced about her room, dismissing her maids promptly, she couldn't help but pretend that the girl in the mirror was someone other than herself. This girl in the mirror was elegant and poised. That girl in the mirror was someone important, and Luce knew that even her royal title couldn't make her important in the eyes of the court she was about to face.

That was why Fiore was going to be crowned heir to the thrown after all. Something that should've been Luce's by birthright was going to be given away to her flittering airhead of a sister all because she could toss some fireballs around. But Luce was done crying over that; the unjustness of it all had made her sick for months, but there was nothing she could do but smile and nod. She couldn't fight the law, or more importantly, the courts of both Domino and Eraklyon. So she would be the immortal princess while her sister sat on the throne of two of the most influential planets in the Magical Dimension.

Yes, that made total sense.

She could've brooded some more, but a knock on her door startled her from out of her train of thought. A butler bowed respectfully to her, letting her know it was time to go and join the rest of society. With a roll of her eyes she moved at a snail's pace towards the ballroom already alive with music and festivities.

As she rounded the corner, she saw her family had already gathered together at the foyer, obviously wanting to be introduced as a family unit. God, Luce already wanted this night to be over so she could go back to her art. She was in the middle of what she considered to be her best piece yet, but that had to be put on hold for the cotillion planning. Just another reason why Fiore was insufferable.

"There you are!" Fiore cried, dashing over to Luce in a great show of theatrics. She looked like a giant pink cupcake in her ball gown, all the rose-colored tulle fluffing up and alexandrite studding in her corset overpowering her. She wore no crown on her head…yet.

Luce jerked back as her sister's firm gloved-grip grabbed her arm and pulled her over to their parents. "You sure took your sweet time; now we're late for my own party!"

"It's your party Fiore, you can't be late," Luce reminded her softly, pulling her arm out of the grip to adjust her own gloves.

"Girls, I don't want any fighting," Bloom spoke, drawing their attention to their ever-regal mother. Luce swore she looked more and more like her Grandma Miriam every day. "Luce, this is Fiore's cotillion, so please, be on your best behavior. She was very respectful at yours."

Luce didn't have the heart to tell her mother that her cotillion only had about a hundred people at it, and that more than half of them spent the entire night fawning over Fiore. Everything always had to be the Fiore show.

But still her mother went on to say, "And Fiore, be polite to your sister. Just because this is your party does not mean that everyone is here to serve you."

"Yes mother," Fiore grumbled, studying her nails.

"Alright my beautiful girls, are you ready?" Sky asked, coming up behind them to place his arms around their shoulders. Bloom let out a wide smile, as did Fiore, but all Luce could muster was a lackluster twitch of her lips. She would be as ready as she ever would be.

"Yes!" Fiore cried, bouncing on her toes. Luce only imagined how that girl could walk so flawlessly on what had to be five-inch heels. Luce could barely keep her balance in the kitten heels she was currently wearing.

Sky left to go get the announcer's attention while the three of them got into position: their parents in the front as both the rulers of the kingdom and a couple, and then Luce with Fiore as the grand reveal in the very back. Luce sighed impatiently, just wanting to get in there and disappear into the background per usual. A night of sitting down during couples dancing and hors d'oeuvres grazing sat ahead of her.

A tap at her shoulder caught her attention, and she spun to see her sister, genuinely looking nervous with wide eyes, wringing her hands in worry.

"Luce?" she asked, a slight tremor betraying her royal visage.

"Yeah?"

"I – I'm nervous… How can you be so calm?"

Luce was confused at her sister's question. Fiore never doubted herself, never for one second. She was always Miss Confidence, ready to stride into any situation without a care in the world. To see her undone like this at a party of all things really threw Luce off.

"Just breathe Fiore. Everyone is here for you. They'll love you," Luce replied, not really knowing what to say. She was never good with the whole "advice" part of being an older sister.

Fiore nodded, but it was a dejected one, and she averted her eyes to study the decorations around her. Luce wondered if she had said the wrong thing, but stroking Fiore's ego usually worked on everything. Now Luce was the one who was nervous. If her sister were about to have a freak-out at her cotillion, Luce would not know how to handle that.

There was no more time to fret about what if's because in the next moment Luce heard the sound of the trumpets and that was her cue to move into the ball room, to be fed to the wolves.

"Introducing Their Royal Majesties, King Sky and Queen Bloom of Eraklyon," the announcer boomed, and Luce didn't have to see the ballroom to know that everyone had risen to bow to their rulers. It was custom, respect.

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Luce of Eraklyon," Luce sauntered into the room, her face a plaster of boredom. They all bowed to her as she descended the stairs and followed her parents as they walked to their seats at the grand table. But no one was really paying attention to her. They were waiting for what came after: The 'Gem of Magical Dimension'.

"For the first time, Her Royal Highness, Princess Fiore of Eraklyon."

And the crowd erupted into applause and curtseys as Fiore put on her show, gracefully descending the steps like the angel everyone believed she was.

Luce stopped paying attention as soon as she sat down in time with her parents, fully ready to stay there for the endless hours to come while servants brought her food and drink.

But after an hour or so of politely engaging in conversation with the few lesser nobility who stopped to say a few kind words to her, she found sitting stationary was more unbelievably unbearably boring than usual. Normally her friends would come and talk to her, maybe even invite her to a group dance or two, but tonight they only had eyes for Fiore. It was like since this party was for Fiore they didn't have to pretend to be interested in having her around.

She sighed, looking after her so called "friends" as they crowded around her little sister, laughing and joking about magical things that she wasn't privy to. And as shallow as that sounded, that really was why they didn't like being around her and pushed her to the outside of everything. It was because she was an outsider to them. She didn't have magic; she didn't belong with them. Luce was sure that if their parents weren't friends then they wouldn't even give her the time of day.

And of course they all looked gorgeous. All royalty or nobility or cultured in ways that Luce could only envy, even the little children. Luce skulked at the injustice of it all.

A slamming of the doors open alerted her to someone else entering the ball. She could hardly imagine who was left; the whole of the royal population of the Magical Dimension had to be there already. But the names called made Luce's night a million times better.

"Introducing Sir Riven and Lady Musa of Melody, and their daughter Miss Arietta of Melody."

The stern-looking couple entered first, nothing like her happy parents. In fact they looked like they couldn't stand the sight of each other.

Not again, Luce sighed, only hoping that her only true friend was taking yet another family spat well. Usually she didn't.

But when she entered, she was the pinnacle of poise, rivaling Fiore for the most elegant walk down the staircase. Luce laughed as she saw her friend covertly roll her eyes and mutter her standard "It's Aria," under her breath, knowing that the girl hated her full name.

"Ugh finally I thought we were never going to find a place to park. It's like a madhouse out there!" Aria shouted with grandeur as she threw her arms open in invitation, scooping up Luce in quite a big hug. Luce was quite awkward, her face smashed into Aria's sternum – the girl was a good five inches taller than she was – but she let the hug continue, too happy to be saved from boredom to care.

"Great to see you," Luce replied honestly, smoothing over her frayed hairs as Aria let her go.

"You too! Look at you; you look like a million bucks!" Aria exclaimed, gesturing to Luce in all her splendor.

And really Luce did look beautiful. It's not like she wasn't usually pretty without all the makeup; her long dark auburn locks and green eyes were something of a family inheritance that she wore well. But tonight she was done up with all the best the royal family could provide, including her powder blue, empire-waist gown. She didn't hold a candle to her sister in her own mind, but Luce was something to behold when she really tried. It was just that she usually didn't want to.

"Please, have you seen yourself?" Luce rebuffed, always feeling awkward around compliments. "I can't believe your mom let you out like that."

Aria rolled her eyes as she cocked a hip. Of course Aria could never look anything less than perfect. She looked at least ten years older and more mature in her strapless gown – something stolen out of her mother's closer for sure, more of a costume than a gown. It clung to every curve on her model-like frame like a second, fire engine red skin. The golden floral embroidery at the bottom danced as she twirled a bit, leading way to a slit that exposed nearly all of her thigh on her right side. Needless to say she would be the talk of the ball. But then again Luce knew that Aria liked it that way.

"She barely had time to yell at me when I walked down the stairs," Aria replied with a cluck of her tongue, leaning down conspiratorially until she reached Luce's ear. "She found dad with the maid last night, in the pool house; it's been hell ever since. Honestly, I don't know how much longer this can go on before one of them kills the other."

Luce sighed, a looked up sympathetically at her friend. Though Aria was good at putting up carefree fronts, Luce knew that this was eating at the girl. Seeing her parents do nothing but fight for the past ten years really had changed her friend's view on a lot of things.

"Hello girls."

Sofia's voice was like a saving grace, saving Luce from saying something tactless or insensitive as the tension grew.

"Sofia, hey, how are you doing? Everything looks wonderful," Aria chimed, back to being happy. She also knew Sofia from her childhood days, and she was always happy to see old friends.

"Thank you Miss Aria. Would you like some champagne?" Sofia asked, extending her arm containing a dozen flutes of the bubbly drink.

"No, thanks though. I have a feeling that I want to be sober for this one…" Aria joked, wiggling her eyebrows, causing an outbreak of giggles between the three.

"Aria," Luce chided, gently smacking her friend's arm, a little embarrassed at the comment.

Sofia just smirked a bit longer before nodding to go. "Have a good night," she bid them farewell, disappearing into the crowds before her.

"Sofia is so wonderful," Aria sighed, leaning against the table, looking for the black maid's dress amongst all the colorful brocades.

"Right?" Luce replied, chewing thoughtfully on her lip as memories of before came rushing back. "Oh my gosh I was so mad. Earlier Fiore was fighting with Sofia over the color of this banner and things got nasty. I had to break it up, but Fiore couldn't understand how it wasn't Sofia's fault. She was literally screaming so loudly Sofia was shaking, and then my mother of all people said that everything was okay!"

"Are you serious?" Aria exclaimed, looking scandalized, "Sofia is a saint! I would be happy if half of my staff was as nice as her."

"Wait, you have a staff? Since when?"

"You know how I was telling you that my mom got laryngitis a few months back?" Aria asked, and Luce remembered the event vividly and nodded. "Yeah well apparently she 'couldn't do anything strenuous' during that time – I swear the woman is a hypochondriac – and hired a full house staff. Now she's gotten used to it, and honestly so have I. It's nice not having to wash my own sheets."

Luce hummed in agreement, knowing how cushy is was not to have any worries as mundane as preparing dinner.

They both fell into a comfortable silence, leaning back and scanning the ball, which was now in full swing. Couples danced and swished their skirts on the dance floor as others stood and talked about nothing of consequence. It was all political and social mumbo jumbo that Luce found tedious and pointless.

But then her eyes sought out her usual prospects: her friends. They had all arrived by now, all of them crowded around Fiore per usual. Stephan – ever awkward – was standing by Chrys, who was a cherub per usual, laughing at some unknown joke, her modest dress a flattering shade of green. And next to her were the twins, Eris and Elliot – Eris the epitome of glamour in her backless indigo ball gown and golden circlet of gems crowning her cropped golden locks. And Elliot…well Elliot always took Luce's breath away.

"Elliot is looking fine tonight…" Aria said, brining Luce out of her staring fit, a blush creeping back up her cheeks.

"Shut up," Luce mumbled, crossing her arms. But she was right. Elliot was as handsome as ever in his black tux, his golden hair parted to the side and adorned with a crown fit for the king he was bound to become when he grew old enough.

They would've been a perfect match…if only Luce had magic. Yet another reason she resented her position.

"What, I'm just stating a fact. You should go ask him to dance." Aria replied defensively, shaking out her shoulders from where they had bunched.

"Yeah right," Luce replied sarcastically, embarrassments creeping in at the prospect of asking her long time crush to dance with her in front of all her friends and Fiore.

"Oh come on, what can you possibly have to lose?"

"My dignity!"

"Drama queen," Aria sighed, leaning back down. Luce knew that Aria thought she was being ridiculous, but the real ridiculous thing was thinking that Elliot would ever think of dancing with her. It was something that was better left to her imagination. Because there was no way he would ever think of her as anything more than Fiore's powerless, brooding older sister who just didn't belong in their secret and magical world.

"It's true!" Luce cried out defensively, tired of having this cyclical conversation all the time. "They've been avoiding me all night, shoving me out of the circle and all the conversations."

"How rude!"

"I think it's Fiore's doing. You know, because of the fight I was telling you about? We said some pretty harsh things: the "why don't you fix it with magic?" "you wouldn't understand because you don't have magic" "well your magic is wasted on you" and blah blah blah… I never apologized, so I guess this is revenge."

"God that girl needs to grow up," Aria scoffed, knowing just how annoying Fiore could be. She felt bad for Luce, not knowing how she dealt with it.

"You're telling me? I have to live with it!"

Aria shot her a sympathetic glance, and then the silence returned. It always came back to silence, not that it was ever awkward. It was just that they were more comfortable together than most.

"Well, if you're not going to dance, then I am," Aria announced, bouncing on her heel-clad toes, going out to the dance floor without a glance back. Luce laughed as her friend was immediately asked to dance, not that it was surprising at all. Aria was beautiful, and a talented dancer. All of the guys loved to dance with her.

Luce took this time to try and find her parents who she noticed had left the table as well. She found them arm in arm with their own group of legendary friends. It was hard for Luce to believe that her mother and her group of "aunts" and "uncles" were actually once the saviors of the Magical Dimension, the legendary Winx Club. To her they were all the over bearing adults.

Of course not all of them were there. Flora was missing from Helia's side, but that was expected; her pregnancy kept her away from many things lately, including the annual Solstice Dance earlier last season. Roy was also missing, though since the toddlers were away from Layla's grasp, Luce assumed that he was home with them. And of course the other younger kids like Terrance and Aiden and Thorne were nowhere to be found. Balls were no place for those not introduced to society. Fiore always hated staying her room while Luce was permitted to go to the more formal balls. Luce remembered all the nights she had to stay up for hours and regale Fiore with every detail she had missed out on.

Chrys came over to Luce a few moments later, her chocolate brown curls bouncing with each step. It was infuriating how someone could be that beautiful and not really try, but Luce couldn't hate her. She was literally a saint.

"Luce! So great to see you!" Chrys exclaimed, scooping her up into a delicate hug.

"Hi Chrys, you look wonderful," Luce replied sincerely, giving her best smile. "How's your mom?"

"You're too kind," Chrys smiled back, her whole face radiating with laughter lines. It was like that girl was incapable from feeling sad or angry. Or being mean. It was frightening. She was totally Flora's child. "And mother's fine, on bed rest per doctor's orders. You know Thorne, trying to mother the mother and keep Aiden at bay! I'm glad I'm not here to witness that!"

A thin bit of laughter worked its way between the girls, and the awkwardness was relieved a little bit. Because Luce really could image the preteen in her head, working out her own potions and solutions with dirt smeared on her face while keeping her rambunctious, hyperactive little brother out of trouble, and it truly was funny.

"Why don't you and Aria come and join the rest of the group? We've missed you," Chrys invited her, her green eyes sparkling. Luce appreciated the effort, even if it was a lie. From there she could see them laughing and joking, happy enough without her.

"Maybe later," Luce replied gently, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "I promised Aria I'd wait for her when she was done dancing."

"Alright," Chrys nodded, turning to go. "I'll see you later then?"

Luce nodded and Chrys smiled as she floated away, Eris immediately snatching her back up as she approached to tell her something that had to be just hilarious. Luce sighed, having no real intention to join them, but knowing that she would have to to keep her word to Chrys now. She genuinely liked Chrys, and hated disappointing the girl.

"Hey, you and nature girl getting pal-y now?" Aria asked, coming back from the dance floor and nudging Luce to get her attention. It was unfair how she never even broke a sweat, her raven's hair still perfectly tight in its bun.

"Nah, just being polite," Luce replied, not knowing what to feel. "She was inviting me to join her in Club Popular."

"Oh, how nice of her to deign herself to give you an invitation," Aria replied in a snarky manner.

"Ha! Well that invitation is also extended to you it seems," Luce replied, watching Aria's face twist. As the oldest of all the Winx children, Aria deemed herself above all of the younger ones and honestly hated hanging out with them. As the third oldest after Stephan, Luce knew that she was lucky that Aria could stand her.

"I'll pass, but you go on ahead. I won't be jealous," Aria smiled at Luce, encouraging her to go, mostly because Elliot was there and Luce knew her friend's motives all too well…but she didn't dwell much on that.

Luce grumbled, but with Aria's pushing, she finally stepped away from the safety of her table to go and meet her friends in the center of the battlefield. It was an awkward trip and she was especially aware of all the eyes that studied her as she moved. She felt like they were all judging her, making her skin crawl.

But she made it finally, coming up to Chrys who was currently engaged in talking to a lesser lord. Chrys was always getting attentions and cards from suitors, but she never took one. Everyone assumed she was just playing hard to get, but Luce knew her better than that. Really Chrys was just oblivious. A man could wave a flashing neon sign that screamed, "I love you!" and she wouldn't think anything of it.

"Luce! Back so soon?" Chrys asked, immediately forgetting the puppy-eyed man at her side.

"Yeah, it's me," Luce replied, now thoroughly awkward.

"You've come just in time," Chrys replied, gesturing to the platform where the thrones sat. "Fiore was just called away by your parents. Apparently they have a big announcement to make."

Chrys looked at Luce expectantly, but Luce was just as lost as she was.

"Really? This is the first I've heard of any announcement."

Any other conversation was cut off by the sound of horns, and then the dying down of the orchestra, and Luce watched her parents take their seats on their thrones. Fiore was short to follow, looking much more composed and regal than she did a few minutes ago chattering with the group. A few members of the royal court followed her, as did the magistrates of both Domino and Eraklyon, both donned in ceremonial robes and white powder wigs.

They all formed a line in front of the thrones, but made sure that the royal couple was not obscured, and Fiore knelt in front of them, facing the people. This was it – the moment of truth. Fiore was about to get everything Luce was supposed to by birthright. All Luce did was sigh and wish for a swift ending.

The magistrates moved forward, the older and crustier of the two clearing his ancient voice to start the ceremony.

"Fiore, youngest daughter of his Royal Highness King Sky and her Royal Majesty Queen Bloom, for sixteen years we did watch over you, and for sixteen years did you prepare for the responsibility to be bestowed upon you tonight. As wielder of the Dragon Flame, you are not only granted the rule of Eraklyon, but also the future rule of Domino, the source of your great power."

Blah blah blah…Luce thought as she started to space out. All this sounded like was praise mumbo jumbo that only prolonged this agony. Oh how she would kill to get Aria to cast a fast forward spell or something like that.

Obviously Luce had missed something in her griping, because by the time she returned her full attention to the stage, a servant was coming out with a large, embossed chest. The second and silent magistrate opened the chest carefully, pulling out the beautifully crafted tiara from inside, and Luce took in a sharp breath as she recognized it.

Mom's tiara.

The magistrate stood by his speaking friend, raising the tiara above Fiore's head in expectation. Fiore was smiling, but Luce could see her hands shaking. The girl really was nervous. She supposed she would be too if all that pressure was being placed on her shoulders. That was perhaps the only good thing of being magic-less: no responsibilities.

"Princess Fiore, do you promise to protect the people, to serve the people, to guide the people in peace and prosperity so long as you shall live?"

"I do," Fiore replied firmly and confidently. Luce couldn't help but being a little proud of her sister then.

"And do you promise to uphold the laws of the Magical Dimension, and the laws of the nations you govern so long as you shall live?"

"I do."

And there were a dozen more "I do's" along those lines that repeated over and over and over again. It was all for show and melodrama because Luce really was already a "princess" but somehow this traditional ceremony made it all official. Luce never really got it honestly, even when it was explained to her multiple times. Even at her own ceremony, everyone knowing she was never going to sit on a throne – she was made to say those vows as if she were the sole hope of the planet.

But Fiore's were more important. Hers held weight. Hers gave her real power. Luce had to remember that.

"Then by the power vested in me, by the powers of the nations Domino and Eraklyon, we crown you Fiore, Princess most high. May your light shine for years to come."

Fiore rose as soon as the tiara was placed perfectly on top of her golden curls, her image the epitome of royalty.

"All hail, Princess Fiore!" the magistrate announced, raising his arms for the people to repeat him. And they did, bowing and curtseying and chanting their praises to the teenaged dauphine. Even Luce joined in for the initial chant, because she really couldn't hold this against Fiore. Even if the girl didn't deserve it, it's not like Fiore purposely took it from Luce. Perhaps this would all fade away in a few days and Luce would never have to hear about the throne ever again and all would be well with the universe.

But her peace of mind obviously wasn't meant to last long.

As soon as Fiore had done her little smile and wave for the crowds and the screams of her friends in her ear had died down, Sky stood from his lofty throne to silence the crowds. He looked pleased and serene, and the crowds eagerly awaited the word of the king.

Luce knew her father's looks, and at the moment he had his speech giving face on, and she sighed, getting ready for a long stretch of time to space out on.

"Eraklyon and Domino have experienced many long years of peace and prosperity thanks to our generous friends and allies. And we could not be more thankful for this. Now, we feel it is time to outstretch our arms and share that peace to yet another kingdom," Sky announced, his tone formal and captivating. The voice of a king.

"Fiore, darling, would you please come here?" Bloom gestured to the girl, her arms open like an embrace. Fiore went to her, trying to hide her confusion with a smile as she let Bloom adjust her at her side.

"Princess Fiore, the shining light of this kingdom. She is a beauty and a power to behold, a flame to light the way to peace. She shall light a new leap into the future," Sky spoke again, Fiore ruffling in her father's pride. Luce fought the urge to gag a little in her mouth. He never said such praises about her…

"And so, in honor of the ancient traditions of the cotillion ceremony, the royal family of Eraklyon is pleased to announce the engagement of Princess Fiore to Prince Elliot of Solaria!"

Sky finished his speech with a grand smile, and the crowd erupted into shouts of joy and raucous applause. Everyone was going insane with the prospect of a royal engagement.

But Luce was too busy having her world shatter from out from under her.

She swore she stopped breathing, her chest seizing in absolute disbelief. Because this could not be happening. Of all the shitty hands life has dealt her so far, this of all things could not be happening.

But it was. Elliot was sauntering up to the podium like he had just won a marathon, grinning from ear to ear, his parents proudly standing at his side. It was hard to tell what Fiore was thinking; her face was a blank mask. Maybe she hadn't processed it yet. Maybe she hadn't really thought about how much she was ruining Luce's life.

There was more speech to be had about the economic benefits of the union and how the nations could be long-lasting allies. Even though the queens had been best friends for years. Yeah apparently that didn't count for shit. They had to go and marry her sister and the only crush she had ever had. Still had.

Luce couldn't stand to see a moment more. She cast a hard glare to her parents who weren't even around to care how she was feeling, and literally ran out of the ball, nearly tripping over her feet to get out of that toxic situation. It wasn't until she was halls and halls away from it all and the music was a faint hum that she let herself fall against the pillars and scream.

She didn't cry. Crying was left in her past when she was some weak little baby who was easily beaten up by her younger sister and she didn't know why. She didn't cry because crying was weakness, and she wasn't weak. She was angry. She was so, so angry.

She ripped the pins out of her hair, letting it fall around her face, done with keeping up appearances for the night. She tore the expensive silk of her gloves, wrenching them off her fingers, ridding herself of the society she hated. Last to go were her shoes, the restricting contraptions wrenched from her feet and thrown across the carpet in a rage.

She hated them. She hated them all. Hated their callousness and their joy and how everything about this totally fucked up situation was okay to them. It made her sick.

When she finally found the strength to stand, she gathered her pins and gloves in her hands and started towards her room. She had no want to return to the ball, and her guess was that no one other than Aria would care if she were there or not. All she wanted to do was sleep and pretend this was all a bad dream.

Luce was almost to her room when a noise from the neighboring hall caught her attention. She walked a bit further, only to turn the corner and be greeted by her sister coming out of a closet looking rumpled. Another figure was already turning the far corner, but was not fast enough to avoid recognition: Eris. Fiore shut the door quietly, leaning up against it, her chest heaving in her tight corset.

"Fiore?" Luce called softly, taking a few steps toward her sister.

Immediately Fiore's head snapped to find her sister. Luce was startled by the scared, skittish expression the girl wore. Her hair that had been perfectly curled was mused and littered with fly-aways, her lipstick smudged and dress crinkled. Paired with Fiore's behavior, Luce knew what had happened – all the signs were there – but she didn't know if she could bring herself to believe it.

Obviously Fiore knew that Luce had put two and two together, and suddenly the wide eyes narrowed, her expression suddenly ice as she glared her sister down in absolute seriousness.

"You didn't see anything."

And with that Fiore turned on her heel and held her head high as she wandered towards the ballroom.

Luce remained in the hall barefoot, devastated, and completely confused.


End file.
